Netflix Fires Fuller House Creator Over Inappropriate Behavior

Netflix announced today that it has removed Fuller House creator Jeff Franklin from his post as showrunner, after allegations of improper behavior from the writers room and set surfaced. Netflix had already renewed Fuller House for a fourth season, with the streaming service confirming that the new season will go into production as planned. Here's a brief statement from a Netflix spokesperson released earlier today.

"Fuller House will return for a fourth season, as planned. We hope to go into production in the next few months."

Warner Bros. Television also released a brief statement, confirming that, "We are not renewing Jeff Franklin's production deal and he will no longer be working on Fuller House." Jeff Franklin has been accused of being "verbally abusive" to staffers while also making inappropriate, sexually charged comments in the writers room regarding his sex life and personal relationships. Franklin has not been accused of any form of sexual harassment or sexual misconduct with anyone who worked on the series.

Sources also claim that staffers complained about Jeff Franklin's habit of bringing women he dated to the Fuller House set, and giving them small roles on the show. Sources also claim that, more than two years ago, Warner Bros. Television received an anonymous letter that laid out Jeff Franklin's behavior, claiming he was, "a walking lawsuit just waiting to happen." While it's unclear if the studio investigated the claims when the anonymous letter was sent, the studio did more recently initiate an investigation after more complaints arose.

Jeff Franklin served as a staff writer for shows such as The Bad News Bears, Laverne and Shirley, Bosom Buddies and The Garry Shandling Show, while also writing the screenplay for the hit 1987 comedy Summer School. He also pitched a comedy series idea to ABC called House of Comics, about three stand-up comedians living in the same house together. When the network stated that they were looking for a family comedy, Franklin added children into the mix, and the show eventually became Full House, which aired as part of ABC's "TGIF" lineup for eight seasons spanning 193 episodes, between 1987 and 1995. He would also go on to create Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, High Tide and Born Free, and he also wrote the 1999 movie Love Stinks.

Netflix has yet to announce a new showrunner for Fuller House to replace Jeff Franklin, and it's unclear if they will promote existing executive producers such as Thomas L. Miller or Robert L. Boyett, or producers such as Steve Sandoval. As of now, none of the main cast members such as Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Andrea Barber, John Stamos, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier or Lori Loughlin have responded to the news at this time. While the show will continue for a fourth season, it's unclear if losing creator Jeff Franklin could also lead to the end of the show as a whole. The news about Jeff Franklin comes as the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have been growing exponentially, in the wake of the widespread sexual harassment and sexual misconduct allegations that have been uncovered throughout Hollywood and beyond. Variety first reported the news on Jeff Franklin earlier today.